a. Article 2, paragraph 3 of Committee of Ministers Statutory Resolution (2000) 1 relating to the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe, which entrusts it with the preparation of regular country-by-country reports on the situation of local and regional democracy in all member states and in states which have applied to join the Council of Europe;

b. its Resolutions 31 (1996), 58 (1997) and 106 (2000) establishing guiding principles for the preparation of the above-mentioned reports;

c. its Recommendation 38 (1998) on the situation of local and regional self-government in the Republic of Moldova, and Recommendation 84 (2000) on regional democracy in Moldova in which it makes a number of observations and suggestions to the Moldovan parliamentary and governmental authorities;

d. its Resolution 59 (1998) on the situation of local and regional self-government in the Republic of Moldova, and Resolution 103 (2000) on regional democracy in Moldova, in which it took the decision to continue monitoring the development of local and regional democracy in that country;

2. Having taken note of the outcome of the official visits by Mr Claude Casagrande (France, L) and Mr Yavuz Mildon (Turkey, R), rapporteurs,2 to Chişinău and Comrat (Gagauzia) in 2001 and 2002, as presented in the information reports recently approved by the CLRAE Bureau;3

3. Having examined the monitoring report on the situation of regional democracy in the Republic of Moldova drawn up by the rapporteurs on behalf of the Institutional Committee;4

4. Invites the rapporteurs in charge of examining the credentials of national delegations to the CLRAE to pay particular attention to the renewal of the delegation of the Republic of Moldova;

5. In this context, considers it important to make sure that the Moldovan delegation systematically comprises local and regional representatives elected at proper elections, in compliance with the rules set out in the Congress Charter and Rules of Procedure;

6. Considers it likewise important to ensure that the associations representing the country’s local and regional authorities are officially consulted by the competent government authorities, as required under Article 3, paragraph 1 of the Congress Charter, each time the delegation of the Republic of Moldova is renewed;

7. With a view to making it easier to establish a suitable working climate for dialogue between the representatives of the government authorities and the representatives of local and regional authorities of Moldova and encouraging co-operation between these representatives in a climate of confidence, instructs its Institutional Committee to organise a meeting in Chişinău with all parties concerned before the end of 2002;

8. Welcomes the establishment of a dialogue between the President of Moldova Mr V. Voronin and Governor (Bashkan) of Gagauzia Mr D. Croitor;

9. Confirms that it is prepared, when the time comes, to co-operate with the Moldovan authorities and the other international organisations concerned in seeking political and legal solutions to the problem of the status of Transnistria;

10. Instructs its Bureau and the Institutional Committee to monitor the implementation of Recommendation 110 (2002) on local and regional democracy in the Republic of Moldova by the Moldovan authorities.